


Programmer Wanted

by MissSalad



Category: Motorcity
Genre: AU, Gen, M/M, Terra!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-09
Packaged: 2017-11-09 10:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSalad/pseuds/MissSalad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Less than a year before canon time, Mike put out an ad for a programmer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I actually hope to continue this? Wow let's see how this goes

The night air was cold and quiet. Mike tucked his hands into his pockets as he glanced around warily. This meet-up was sketchy as hell, and if this guy didn’t show up on time there was no way he was sticking around for him afterward. He sighed and leaned against the streetlight he stood beside.

Time passed slowly.

“What a waste,” Mike muttered, standing away from the light. Only then did movement catch his eye. Something in the shadows of a nearby alley seemed to be motioning at him. He hesitated only for a moment before walking towards the figure. Upon closer inspection, the person was at least 4 inches taller than Mike, and far lankier.

“Are you the one asking about programing for my team?”

“Yeah,” the stranger’s voice was high-pitched, but soft and slightly raspy.

“Well could ya’ come out where I can see you?”

“I’m not really sure you’d want me to do that.”

“Aw c’mon, I’m sure you look good compared to my ugly mug.”

A weak chuckle was the only response. Mike shifted into a more relaxed position as he watched the shadowy figure.

“Could I at least get a name? I’m Mike,” he said as he offered his hand to the stranger.

“I’m…I’m Chuck.” A gloved hand hesitantly grasped Mike’s.

“So, you showed me your tech stuff, and that looked great. But I gotta be honest with you, talking to shadows isn’t giving me the best impression.”

Another nervous laugh before he responded. “Well, I, you see, that’s not really going to work out, because I’m not-“

“You’re not what? C'mon man, I'm looking for a programmer, not a date” Mike spoke with slight teasing.

“Just…don’t freak out.”

Mike couldn’t retain a skeptical smirk. He had seen terrible things in his time, this Chuck guy was probably just all worked up. The first thing he noticed was blonde hair peeking out from a dark hood. The next thing he noticed was a large gas mask obscuring a majority of his face. What he could see appeared gray and almost cracked. Long bangs nearly covered his eyes, but from what Mike could see, he looked terrified.

There was only a moment of silence, and Mike easily broke it with, “See, I knew you’d look fine. If you’re going to be my programmer, then you need to listen to me more.”

It was hard to tell, but Mike thought that Chuck was smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chuck meets the other Burners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my best frond in the world, Sylph, for helping me with this. Seriously she's legit.

“And this,” Mike said as he opened the metal doors to the garage, “is where we work.”

Chuck pushed his bangs up to get a better look. Mike smiled as he looked at Chuck, his grey-green eyes large with excitement. The shop was a mess right now. There were auto parts everywhere, and oil stained on practically every surface. Mike walked into the familiar workshop and held the door open for Chuck.

“It’s not much, but-”

“Are you kidding? Man, this is awesome!”

Mike looked back over to see that the blonde was practically elated. Everything about him had brightened. Even the corners of his eyes had crinkled with a smile.

“Why don’t you take a look around?” Mike asked, feeling himself smile as he watched Chuck’s expression change to one of surprise.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously."

It was like letting a little kid run free in a candy shop. Chuck practically danced around every car, studying the weapons, the paint job, the structure, everything.

“So I take it that you like what you see?”

“This stuff is amazing! I just…wow. How’d you even get most of it?” Chuck had his back to Mike, his focus on the shelf of tools. The brunette walked over and leaned against the hood of the nearest car.

“Mainly from junkyards, with some trading here and there.” Mike couldn’t keep himself from laughing at the look of awe Chuck gave him.

“It’s great... I’ve never even seen this many parts in one place at once...” Chuck sighed.    “Really? For a guy that lives around so many junkyards I would have guessed you’ve seen all the ins and outs of cars.”

“There’s... not really that much where I live. Bits and pieces sure, but never anything in as good of condition as anything here.” He muttered as he gently prodded at pieces in a box with a gloved finger.

“Well hey, as a Burner you’re welcome into the garage anytime you’d like.” Chuck nodded and continued examining the pieces that were left in his disposal.

“So, I’m gonna go see how everyone else is doing, call if you need anything.”

 “Thank you.” Chuck looked up and beneath his mask, it was clear he was smiling. His eyes didn’t look as worried anymore, Mike noticed. He waved and exited out into the hall leaving his new friend alone.

“Yeah, friend.” Mike grinned as he spoke quietly to himself.

\---

“Mike, are you sure about this guy?” Julie said as Mike entered the diner’s main room.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Mike shifted to face the fellow driver. Julie looked to Texas and Jacob for help, but they avoided her gaze.

“Well, none of us have met him before. And you don’t even know where he comes from. What if he works for Kane?”

Mike practically glared at them. “Really guys? You don’t trust my opinion?" Silence followed as they all shared awkward glances.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, it just that-“ Jacob tried to reason, but Mike cut him off.

“It’s just what? He’s no different from us. He just wants to make things right in the world. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Mike, have you seen the guy? He looks sick. What if Kane sent him here to infect Motorcity. I mean, think about it. You put out an ad for a programmer, and then all of a sudden, one shows up on your doorstep, but won’t tell where he’s from? Wouldn’t that be just a little too convenient?  And why does he wear the mask? It’s creepy, and I feel like he’s hiding too much from us,” Julie was on her feet now, gesturing to the garage.

“Because we all don’t have things we want to keep secret?” His tone was almost accusing as he spoke, “Have you even talked to the guy?”

This caught her by surprise. “W-well no, but-“

“Yes, Julie, please just make assumptions about our newest teammate by spying on him. Great, job all of you.” Mike stood, apparently done with the conversation, when Texas spoke, “Well, I don’t see why we can’t give him a chance.”

He looked to the others pleadingly, and they reluctantly nodded.

“Alright then, let’s go talk to him.”

\---

Chuck sat on the cold cement floor, trying to calm himself down. After spending some time alone, he realized all the millions of things that could go wrong. What if they saw him without his mask? What if they found him disgusting? What if Mike thought he was a monster? Mike…Mike who was his only friend. And then the absolute worst thought appeared before him. _What if he got them sick?_ That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen! Chuck scrambled to his feet, trying to find the exit. He hurried to the door, only to nearly trip over himself trying to stop. Mike looked at him in surprise before smiling warmly.

“Hey Chuck! I’d like you to meet the other Burners.”

“Oh, um, uh, hello, heh.” Chuck stammered over his greeting, waving his arms around before awkwardly placing them behind his back. Jacob had stayed behind in case any “potential costumers,” arrived. Julie smiled, thought it looked forced, and she studied him with suspicion. Texas, however, grinned merrily at him. “Hey there! The name’s Texas. Cool, I know.” He then flexed a bicep, just to prove how cool he is.

“It’s uh, nice to meet you. I’m Chuck, but you already knew that so uh, yeah.”

“Chuck. That’s a cool name. Do you have a car?”

The blonde was caught off-guard by this question. “A what- a car? Oh no, not me.”

“Shame. We could get you one. Skinny like you. Mine's the big one over there. It’s strong. Like me.” Texas gestured to his car and then flexed again because that’s what strong people do.    “C’mon, let’s introduce you to the cars,” Mike said as he grabbed Chuck by the elbow and led him over to the first car. He could feel Chuck tense and shy away from the contact, but he wasn’t shaken off. “This here is 9 Lives. It’s Julie’s. It has all sorts tricks to it, like smoke screens and oil slicks. Next to it-"

“That’s there’s Stronghorn,” Texas cut in, going to stand next to his car.  “It’s got a battering pistons, hydrodrills, and grappling hook. Awesome, I know. And then the grille opens up and BAM! Battering ram!” The enthusiastic brunette accentuated his point by punching the air.

Mike smiled and shook his head at Texas before leading Chuck to the last in the line. “And this, is Mutt. She’s mine of course, but you can ride with me until we can get you your own.”

Chuck looked from Mike to the others, eyes shining with happiness, and possibly tears.

“Thank you. You guys are great. Really.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. I didn't include Dutch because timeline wise I think he shows up later. We'll see how this goes


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret's out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my bud Sylph (aglaiocercus.tumblr.com) for basically just becoming my co-author on this whole fic like dang son

The silence in the shop was deafening. Chuck could feel the skeptical stares of the other Burners on his back even though they weren’t there in the shop with him. Recently he had found himself worrying about what they’d think of him almost all of the time. It was a pressure on his shoulders that he couldn’t handle anymore. The desire to escape from this place had built up in his chest, begging to be released. He needed to go get some air. As he stood up his brain filled with thoughts. He knew he shouldn’t have even responded to Mike’s message at all. He knew he should’ve left as soon as he arrived. Should have gone home to the toxic plants and spores that his body so desperately needed to survive. He should have left these poor people when he had the chance. Risking the health of the others was stupid and selfish of him. Suddenly a large amount of self-awareness overcame him that he wasn’t alone with his thoughts anymore. Chuck turned to face the doorway and he was greeted with a obviously upset Julie. The disapproval was apparent on her face.

“Uh, hey…Julie. How’s it going?” He asked her

“Chuck, let’s just be honest with each other here.”

“I-um, alright…” Julie only stared at the tall blonde in front of her.

“We obviously both want what’s best for the Burners, right?” She began sharply.

“Well, yeah of course.”

“And I know you haven’t been here for very long, so I can assume that you don’t know Mike as well as me or the others do.”

“If this is abou-“

“Mike is good at making decisions. But sometimes those decisions are, well, brash. And when he leaves the rest of us out of these brash decisions, they can be a little stupid.”

Chuck sighed, trying to shake off the burn of her words.

“Julie, if this is about what you were talking about earlier, I know. I’m just going to ruin everything the Burners strive to uphold if I stick around for very long. I swear, I didn’t think Mike would actually say yes and sweep me off my feet and take me back here at the speed of light. I should prob- I need to leave, right?”

            Her brow furrowed and her eyes widened with surprise.

            “You…heard me?”

            “This place doesn’t have very thick walls,” Chuck said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

            “Oh god, I’m sorry. I just- let me explain. This wouldn’t be the first time Kane’s pulled some trick on us. Each time it gets worse and we need to be careful. You showing up so soon and without Mike even saying anything to us, well, it’s suspicious. You haven’t really said anything about the whole mask thing. It’s kind of freaky.”

“You’re telling me.” 

“…So, were you gonna leave? Before I busted in on you?” Chuck sighed and slumped down against the rear tire of Mutt and ran a hand through his long bangs.

“Honestly, I’m surprised I hadn’t left earlier.” He sighed as Julie came over and sat down next to him.

“Hey Chuck? If- If you don’t mind me asking, could I see your face? Like, before you leave forever and everything?”

He looked up at her with worried eyes, “Only if you promise not to freak, and to, not tell anyone that you’ve seen me, or that you know I left. Also you should, probably cover your mouth or something.” Julie raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, but slowly nodded in agreement.

“Fair enough.” She got up and quickly grabbed a gas mask they sometimes used during they painted the cars with from a shelf in the back of the workshop. Her slender hands quickly secured the straps behind her head and nodded at Chuck. He sighed and slipped his hands out of the gloves he had constantly worn since arriving and he carefully undid his own mask. He clutched onto the mask tightly as his arm fell to his side, and pushing his long bangs back out of his face with the other, he looked back to Julie. She stumbled back a bit, and once Chuck shrugged, she stepped forwards. He watched her eyes suddenly fill with visible concern.

“Oh… that’s why you… oh…” She whispered quietly. “You poor thing…” Her hand reached out to touch his skin and he leapt backwards.

“NO. No. Julie trust me, you can’t come in contact with me or anything I’ve touched or soon enough you’ll end up exactly like me.” Her hand hovered for a moment before pulling it back. She sat down cross-legged across from of the broken looking boy. His skin was tinted gray and the barely visible cracks that covered the top half of his face grew more severe as they travelled downward. His mouth didn’t close completely, with jagged scars leaving it open and revealing viciously sharp teeth. Without the clunky mask on, she could see the hollows of his cheeks. No longer feeling comfortable with this sort of exposure, Chuck lifted the mask back to its proper place, and secured it once more.

“How do you know?”

“Know what?” Chuck raised his gaze from the floor to look at her.

“That it’s contagious. You haven’t like, changed anyone on accident before or anything, have you?”

“Oh no! No, never done that. It’s just what the older leaders always told us. That the radiation could change anyone. I thought that being away from the source could keep it from happening, but now I’m not so sure. I don’t want to risk you guys in trying to find out either.”

Silence filled the room once more, neither of the teenagers knowing what to say.

”I….I should go,” Chuck said softly. Julie nodded slightly, focused on her hands that rested down in front of her. With that, she watched him stand and leave out the back door without a sound.

—-

A few hours later, when Mike entered the garage with assorted snacks that weren’t monstrosities created by Jacob, the only thing he noticed in the room was Julie sitting against Mutt, looking down, obviously deep in thought.

“Jules? You okay?,” he paused for a moment, looking around.

“Where’s Chuck?” He couldn’t restrain the worry in his voice as he knelt down beside his teammate.

Julie looked up at him, silent for a moment, and then in a quiet voice said, “He left.”

“Left? Left where?”

Julie sighed. She looked tired and explaining the situation seemed to drain her more.

“Mike, he was…hurt. Or sick. I don’t know, but he was afraid of making us sick, and he left.”

“Julie, what do you mean?” Mike was struggling to keep his voice calm. Multiple scenarios played in his mind. Many of them featured Chuck betraying the team.

“He…he saved us. I don’t even know what from but,” her voice cracked with guilt, “we didn’t even know anything about him, but he was already dedicated enough to do this.” She angrily wiped at the tears building in her eyes.

Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. He felt tense. Chuck was one of them. He was a Burner. Whatever was going on with him, they would help him through it. Burners don’t abandon each other, no matter how long they’ve been on the team.

“We’re going to find him, Jules. Don’t you worry. We’ll get out there and we’ll find him.” 


End file.
